"Too big to fail" is how we would describe the megacap stocks in this article today. While they will likely stand the test of time, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows as their scale can limit their ability to find new sources of growth.
This dynamic can trouble even the most skilled investors, but luckily for you, we started StockStory to help you navigate these trade-offs and uncover exceptional companies that break the mold. That said, here are two industry titans that still have big upside potential and one whose existing offerings may be tapped out.
One Mega-Cap Stock to Sell:
Home Depot (HD)
Market Cap: $368.6 billion
Founded and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Home Depot (NYSE:HD) is a home improvement retailer that sells everything from tools to building materials to appliances.
Why Does HD Worry Us?
- Lagging same-store sales over the past two years suggest it might have to change its pricing and marketing strategy to stimulate demand
- Estimated sales growth of 1.3% for the next 12 months implies demand will slow from its six-year trend
- Capital intensity has ramped up over the last year as its free cash flow margin decreased by 2.5 percentage points
Home Depot’s stock price of $371 implies a valuation ratio of 24.2x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than HD.
Two Mega-Cap Stocks to Buy:
Nvidia (NVDA)
Market Cap: $3.21 trillion
Founded in 1993 by Jensen Huang and two former Sun Microsystems engineers, Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) is a leading fabless designer of chips used in gaming, PCs, data centers, automotive, and a variety of end markets.
Why Are We Backing NVDA?
- Annual revenue growth of 120% over the last two years was superb and indicates its market share increased during this cycle
- Offerings are difficult to replicate at scale and lead to a best-in-class gross margin of 74.3%
- Impressive free cash flow profitability enables the company to fund new investments or reward investors with share buybacks/dividends, and its rising cash conversion increases its margin of safety
At $131.17 per share, Nvidia trades at 30.1x forward P/E. Is now a good time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it’s free.
Alphabet (GOOGL)
Market Cap: $2.05 trillion
Started by Stanford students Larry Page and Sergey Brin in a Menlo Park garage, Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) is the parent company of the eponymous Google Search engine, Google Cloud Platform, and YouTube.
Why Is GOOGL a Good Business?
- Alphabet’s dominant Google Search sits on the pantheon of the best businesses ever. This is reflected in its robust long-term revenue growth and elite operating margin.
- The company’s profit margins have become even higher over time, speaking to its scale advantages and operating efficiency not only in its core Search business but also in Google Cloud Platform and YouTube.
- Revenue growth and increasing operating margins are the key ingredients for strong EPS growth. Google has these, and when also factoring in its share repurchases, you can see why EPS has exploded over the long term.
Alphabet is trading at $168.77 per share, or 18.6x forward price-to-earnings. Is now the time to initiate a position? See for yourself in our full research report, it’s free.
Stocks We Like Even More
The market surged in 2024 and reached record highs after Donald Trump’s presidential victory in November, but questions about new economic policies are adding much uncertainty for 2025.
While the crowd speculates what might happen next, we’re homing in on the companies that can succeed regardless of the political or macroeconomic environment. Put yourself in the driver’s seat and build a durable portfolio by checking out our Top 6 Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 176% over the last five years.
Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as ServiceNow (+178% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Kadant (+351% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free.